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Fix KeyStoreException crash on Nexus 5 devices (MOB-11856) #934

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@sumeruchat sumeruchat commented Aug 8, 2025

Problem

The Android SDK was crashing on Nexus 5 devices during initialization with:

java.security.KeyStoreException: Entry must be a PrivateKeyEntry or TrustedCertificateEntry; was SecretKeyEntry: algorithm - AES

This occurs because older Android KeyStore implementations (like on Nexus 5/API 23) don't support SecretKeyEntry for AES keys - they only support PrivateKeyEntry and TrustedCertificateEntry.

Related Ticket: MOB-11856

Solution

Minimal fix - added try-catch around IterableDataEncryptor() initialization in the keychain:

try {
    encryptor = IterableDataEncryptor()
    IterableLogger.v(TAG, "SharedPreferences being used with encryption")
} catch (e: Exception) {
    IterableLogger.e(TAG, "Failed to initialize encryption, falling back to plain text", e)
    handleDecryptionError(e)
    return
}

What happens now on Nexus 5:

  1. IterableDataEncryptor() constructor fails with KeyStoreException
  2. Exception is caught in keychain initialization
  3. handleDecryptionError() is called → encryption disabled permanently
  4. App continues working with plain text storage instead of crashing

Changes:

  • 7 lines added to IterableKeychain.kt - wrap encryptor creation in try-catch
  • 52 lines test added - documents and verifies the fix behavior
  • No breaking changes to existing encryption/decryption logic

Testing

  • All existing unit tests pass
  • New test testEncryptorInitializationFailureScenario() validates fallback behavior
  • Verifies plaintext storage works after encryption initialization failure

Manual Test Plan

  1. API 23 Emulator Test:

    • Create Nexus 5 API 23 emulator
    • Install app with SDK
    • ✅ No crash on initialization
    • ✅ App works with plain text storage fallback
  2. Functionality Test:

    • Login/logout flows work normally
    • Data persistence functions correctly
    • Encryption gracefully disabled when unavailable

Resolves MOB-11856

- Wrap keyStore.setEntry() in try-catch to handle SecretKeyEntry not supported
- Add encryptor initialization error handling in keychain with graceful fallback
- Resolves MOB-11856 with minimal changes
- Add encryptor initialization error handling in keychain with graceful fallback
- KeyStoreException bubbles up naturally and gets handled properly
- Resolves MOB-11856 with truly minimal changes
- Test documents expected behavior when IterableDataEncryptor initialization fails
- Verifies graceful fallback to plaintext storage continues to work
- Ensures app functionality is maintained after encryption failure
- Reset IterableDataEncryptor.kt to match master exactly
- Only IterableKeychain.kt and test should have changes for minimal fix
@sumeruchat sumeruchat marked this pull request as ready for review August 8, 2025 15:02
Comment on lines -44 to +51
encryptor = IterableDataEncryptor()
IterableLogger.v(TAG, "SharedPreferences being used with encryption")
try {
encryptor = IterableDataEncryptor()
IterableLogger.v(TAG, "SharedPreferences being used with encryption")
} catch (e: Exception) {
IterableLogger.e(TAG, "Failed to initialize encryption, falling back to plain text", e)
handleDecryptionError(e)
return
}
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This is good. It actually prevents crashes which were reproducible

Comment on lines +398 to +401
`when`(mockSharedPrefs.getString(eq("iterable-email"), isNull())).thenReturn(testEmail)
`when`(mockSharedPrefs.getString(eq("iterable-user-id"), isNull())).thenReturn(testUserId)
`when`(mockSharedPrefs.getBoolean(eq("iterable-email_plaintext"), eq(false))).thenReturn(true)
`when`(mockSharedPrefs.getBoolean(eq("iterable-user-id_plaintext"), eq(false))).thenReturn(true)
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The test is artificially forcing the behavior it wants to test:
It mocks getString() to return the test values
It mocks getBoolean() to return true for the _plaintext flags
Then it calls the methods and verifies they work

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Okay will fix

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@Ayyanchira Ayyanchira left a comment

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LGTM. However, test methods might be misleading.

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2 participants